Boxers spark PH drive to 5th place

FILIPINO Josie Gabuco (red) consoles Chuthamat Raksat of Thailand after winning the women’s light flyweight gold in the boxing event of the 28th SEA Games. RAFFY LERMA

SINGAPORE—Filipino boxers showed the way as the Philippines finally found the proverbial pot of gold in the world’s most expensive city Wednesday.

Josie Gabuco, Mario Fernandez, Ian Clark Bautista, Eumir Felix Marcial and Junel Cantancio won their final bouts to preside over the country’s nine-gold rush, its most productive day so far, and lift the country to fifth place with a 21-23-34 gold-silver-bronze tally (as of 8:30 p.m.) halfway through the 28th Southeast Asian Games.

Track ace Eric Cray delivered a second gold in record-smashing fashion, former world billiards champion Dennis Orcollo came out superior and the men’s and women’s softball teams swept their rivals to complete the Filipinos’ charge.

Orcollo, who once hogged the limelight as the world’s best in the 8-ball event, demolished Burma’s Maung Maung, 9-4, to rule the men’s 9-ball singles, his third straight gold in the SEAG since 2011.

“We beat them all the time, they’re the ones who fear us,” said the 36-year-old former No. 1 in the World Pool Association money list.

A day after crowning himself as the fastest man in these Games, Cray breached the 20-year-old mark of Thailand’s Chanon Keanchan (49.76 seconds) in the men’s 400m hurdles.

Cray surged to the line from the second to the last hurdle and retained his 2013 Burma (Myanmar) title in 49.40 seconds. Vietnam’s Cong Lich Quach placed second (50.29) and Andrian Andrian of Indonesia finished third (51.36).

“I was excited to run this race. Let’s see if I can get the 110 (hurdles),” said Cray, who engineered the historic win for the Philippines in the men’s 100m dash on Tuesday.

Fil-Am Kayla Richardson failed in her bid for a women’s sprint double by placing second in the 200 behind Singapore’s Veronica Pereira, who timed 23.60 seconds. Richardson, fastest in the heats with 23.67, took the silver in 23.71.

Jesson Ramil Cid floundered in javelin, pole vault and discus throw on the second day of decathlon and lost the gold to Nguyen Van Hue of Vietnam, 7,232-7,065. And Marestella Torres, a flop in the Incheon Asian Games, was another disappointment as the former SEA Games champion could only land the bronze in the women’s long jump with 6.41 meters, barely nosing out Katherine Santos, who was fourth with 6.40.

Caleb Stuart, gold medalist in hammer throw Tuesday, was only fourth in shot put.